SB 371 
.S64 
Copy 1 



. 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 33. 



PEACH GROWING FOR MARKET. 



BY 



ERWIN F\ SMITH, 
Division ok Vegetable Physiology and Pathology. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
1895. 






LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



TJ. S. Department of Agriculture, 
Division of Vegetable Physiology and Pathology, 

Washington, I). C, August J, 1895. 
Sir: 1 have the honor", to transmit herewith for publication as a 
Farmers' Bulletin an article on Peach Growing for Market, by Dr. 
Erwin F. Smith. Dr. Smith has devoted special attention to the dis- 
eases of the peach, and the material which forms the basis of this 
bulletin lias been collected by him in the course of his investigations. 
Respectfully, 

B. T. Galloway, 

Chief of Division. 
Hon. J. Sterling Morton, 

Secretary. 
2 

IN BXCHAKGF 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

Where peaches can he grown 5 

Climate best suited to the peach 5 

.Soils adapted to peach culture G 

Planting within easy reach of large markets 6 

The selection of a site 6 

Extent of peach lands in the United States 7 

Planting the orchard 7 

Selection of suitable trees 7 

Varieties to he planted 8 

Cultivation of the orchard 9 

Pruning 10 

Fertilizers 11 

Fungous diseases and insect pests 11 

Spraying, washes, etc 19 

Picking and marketing the fruit 19 

Gluts in the market 22 

Hindrances to profitable peach culture 22 



ILLUSTRATIONS, 



Page. 
Fig. 1. Peach tree in a Maryland orchard showing customary way of prun- 

ing 10 

2. Peach tree in a Delaware orchard showing customary way of pruning. 10 

3. Peach tree in the same orchard as fig. 2. 11 

4. Peach yellows the fourth year 11 

5. Peach rosette 12 

6. Peach mildew (Sphcerotheca pannosaf) on stem and fruit 13 

7. Peach curl ( Taphrina deformans) 13 

8. Black spot of the peach ( ( 'ladosporium carpopMlum) 14 

9. Eoot knots duo to nematodes 15 

10. The peach tree borer (Sannina exitiosa) . ; 15 

11. Larva of the pin borer (Scolytus rugulosus) 16 

12. Pupa of the pin borer 16 

13. Pin borer beetle 16 

14. Branch of peach showing perforations of the pin borer 16 

15. Denuded branch showing breeding chambers, larva 1 channels, and 

pupa chambers of the pin borer 16 

1G. Black peach aphis (Aphis persica'-niger), the common wingless, vivipa- 
rous form 17 

17. Black peach aphis (Aphis per sica'-niger) , viviparous, winged form 17 

18. Black peach aphis, enlarged antenna 18 

19. The curcujio ( Conolraehelus nenuphar) 18 

20. The whitewash scale (Diaspis lanatus) 19 

21. Peach crates 21 

3 



PEACH GROWING FOR MARKET. 



This bulletin is intended for the man who contemplates peach culture 
rather than for the one who is successfully raising this crop. The lat- 
ter needs no advice, but is rather in a condition to give it, and if he who 
thinks of planting an orchard can find a successful grower by all means 
let him seek that man's counsel. 

WHERE PEACHES CAN BE GROWN. 

In what part of the United States can peaches be grown, is one of 
the first questions likely to be asked by a foreigner or a person unac- 
quainted with the subject. This question admits of two answers. If 
peaches are desired simply for family use the answer is that they can 
be grown in nearly every State in the Union and in almost any part of 
any State, care of course being taken to select the right kind of site, 
to plant varieties adapted to the climate, and to give suitable winter 
protection in the extreme North and in high mountain regions. Even 
in the inhospitable climates along our northern border peaches may be 
grown out of doors with considerable success if the trees are dug under, 
tipped over, and covered with straw each autumn, and not uncovered 
and righted up until danger from late spring frosts has passed. Some 
of the finest peaches the writer has ever seen were grown in this way 
at the Kansas State Experiment Station following a winter and spring 
which destroyed every blossom on unprotected trees for miles around. 
The growing of peaches in large orchards for commercial purposes is 
quite another matter, and what follows will relate especially to such 
orchards. 

CLIMATE BEST SUITED TO THE PEACH. 

Climate is one of the first considerations in the selection of a place 
for the planting of commercial peach orchards, and the wide variety 
we have in the United States affords every opportunity for selecting a 
suitable location. The old notion that the peach is a tropical tree and 
must have a warm climate is not well founded. It is a tree of middle 
latitudes and does not like extreme cold nor extreme heat. The climate 
of China, which is probably its native home, is in many respects like 
parts of our own country. 

Commercial orchards should not be planted in regions much subject 
to severe winters or to late spring frosts. It is well also to avoid 

5 



regions where the winters are very mild, such as the extreme southern 
parts of the United States, owing to the fact that the blossoms are apt 
to be forced out in late winter or early spring and afterwards injured 
by frosts. It is best to select a climate which is not given to violent 
extremes of any sort and which has a considerable rainfall, fairly well 
distributed throughout the year. Thirty-six to fifty inches of rainfall 
annually is about the proper amount. If the quantity of water precipi- 
tated is much below this the deficiency should be made up by irrigation. 

SOILS ADAPTED TO PEACH CULTURE. 

There are many kinds of soil in which orchards can be grown success- 
fully. At present there are commercial orchards in New England on 
stony and gravelly soils of poor character; in Maryland, Delaware, and 
New Jersey, on fertile loams and on very light pine sands; in Pennsyl- 
vania, on mountain soils derived from limestones and sandstones; in 
South Carolina and Oeorgia, on light pine sands and on stiff red clay 
lands derived from the local decomposition of granites; in Michigan, on 
rather heavy clay hills, and also very successfully on loams and light 
pine sands, even on beach sand so light as to be blown about by the 
winds; in northwestern New York, on quite a variety of clays, gravels, 
and sands, forming the old lake bottom of Lake Ontario; in Florida, on 
flat pine sands; in Kansas, on deep black prairie soils. On all of these 
soils there are now growing very successful and profitable peach orchards. 

In general it may be said that the peach prefers light, warm, well- 
drained, sandy or loamy land with a clay subsoil, although some very 
successful orchards have been grown upon rather heavy clays and many 
on deep sands. Muck soils, heavy clays retentive of moisture, and in 
general all wet lands'and flat, frosty lands are especially to be avoided. 

PLANTING WITHIN EASY REACH OF LARGE MARKETS. 

In the planting of commercial orchards proximity to large markets 
and ease of shipment should never be forgotten. An excellent location 
may be worthless owing to lack of facilities for transportation. There 
are thousands of acres of land in the United States suitable for peach 
growing which it would be folly to plant at present owing to lack 
of shipping facilities. Competing railway and steamboat lines are a 
great advantage in securing low freights. One of the great draw- 
backs to successful peach growing in the South until recently, and one 
which still exists in many parts, has been due to the fact that the 
growers are not able to secure favorable freight rates. 

THE SELECTION OF A SITE. 

In selecting a site for the orchard several things should be borne in 
mind. Some fields on a farm may be much better adapted to the peach 
than others. In general the higher lands are to be selected rather 
than the lower, and in northern regions a water front is preferable to an 



inland location ; in inland regions a hillside with a northern exposure is 
generally better than one with a southern exposure, this being due to 
the fact that the northern exposure will somewhat retard the opening 
of the blossoms, and in this way orchards will escape late spring frosts, 
while if set in more sunny situations they might be induced to open 
blossoms a week or two earlier and then be caught by late frosts. In 
the Michigan peach orchards bordering on Lake Michigan it has been 
found that the cold air from the lake retards the opening of the blossom 
a week or ten days, the inland orchards being in full blossom before 
those on the lake front have opened. The advantage of this in case 
of late frosts is obvious. 

EXTENT OF PEACH LANDS IN THE UNITED STATES. 

The fear has sometimes been expressed that the ravages of yellows 
and other diseases would finally put an end to peach growing in the 
United States, but there is certainly no immediate danger. In North 
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, 
Texas, and California there are many admiiable locations for peach 
growing as yet unoccupied. California alone could grow enough 
peaches to supply the whole United States. 

PLANTING THE ORCHARD. 

Having decided on climate, soil, site, and location with reference to 
market, the next thing is the preparation of the land for planting. 
This should be plowed and cultivated as carefully as for a crop of 
wheat, corn, or cotton. The land should then be cross-marked and 
holes dug for the trees at the intersections. In general it is best to 
plant trees not closer together than 20 by 20 feet, especially if the soil 
is in good condition. In some places, however, where the soil is poor 
and where the orchards are not expected to last more than a dozen 
years, the trees may be planted closer — for example, 10 feet one way by 
20 feet the other. At the time of planting a map of the orchard show- 
ing the location of each variety should be made for future use. The 
neglect of this frequently causes much inconvenience. The prepara- 
tion of the soil, the digging of the holes for the trees, and all necessary 
work in connection with the planting should be done in advance, so 
that when the trees are received there need be no delay and consequent 
drying of the roots before planting. If it is absolutely necessary to 
utilize flat land retaining moisture, furrows should be turned toward 
the center of 20-foot lands for several years in succession and the 
trees finally planted on the middle portion of these artificial ridges. 

SELECTION OF SUITABLE TREES. 

The selection of the trees themselves is a matter of great impor- 
tance. It is not necessary that they should be very large, but the 
trunks should be smooth and well grown and the roots abundant and as 



8 

little injured as possible. To secure tliese desirable qualities it is well, 
iu ordering trees to have a written agreement touching the points iu 
question, so that iuferior trees may be rejected/ The roots should not 
be close pruned except for the removal of mangled or splintered por- 
tions, and the holes iu which they are set should be of such dimensions 
that it will not be necessary to twist and cramp them in planting. 
Care should be taken that they are not set shallow — that is, on top of 
the earth— nor buried much deeper than they stood in the original 
nursery. Tliey should not be set into hard earth, nor should the holes 
be filled with stones and rubbish, but with mellow earth well tramped 
down. Experience in the United States has shown pretty clearly that 
peach trees in open orchards do best on peach roots, but if the situa- 
tion is low and the soil rather heavy plum roots 1 maybe substituted, in 
which latter case the trees should then be closer together, say 15 by 15 
or 15 by 12 feet. In the United States peaches are not grown to any 
extent on espaliers or in houses. 

Judgment differs as to whether it is best to set June-budded or 
August-budded trees. Generally it will be found convenient to buy 
the trees of some reliable nurseryman, and such are usually propagated 
from buds set in August, but if the planter prefers to grow his own 
trees and time is a matter of consequence the seedlings should be 
budded in June so as to obtain a grafted top the same year. 

In tlie selection of trees special attention should be paid to secure 
those which are free from fungi and injurious insects. The greatest care 
should be taken that the trees are not infested by borers, scale insects, 
or root aphides. Unfortunately trees of this character are sometimes 
sent out, and orchards planted from them are sure to give trouble. In 
general it is best to avoid trees grown in regions much subject to 
peach yellows and peach rosette. In buying trees the planter will do 
well to deal only with nurserymen who have by honest dealing gained 
a well-merited reputation. It is better to pay two prices for trees of 
an assured character than to take as a gift trees from doubtful sources. 

VARIETIES TO BE PLANTED. 

The selection of varieties is a matter of considerable importance, and 
no general rule applicable to the whole United States can be laid down. 
Many choice peaches do w r ell only in restricted localities. Some are 
liable to be winterkilled or to be caught in bloom by late frosts; some 
are uncertain bearers; some mildew and others rot badly; some are 
too tender for long shipment by rail; some ripen at the same time as 
better sorts, Avhich are to be preferred ; some, like the Elberta, have 
many good qualities but fall short of the finest flavor. A variety for 
commercial purposes must combine as many good points as p issible. 
The tree must be hardy and productive; the fruit must be of good size, 

•Iu selecting plum stocks care should bo used to secure a variety which makes a 
good aud lasting union. The Marianua should not be used for a stock. 



fine color, and superior flavor, and must be firm enough to stand ship- 
ment. The grower who contemplates setting an orchard for profit will 
do well to stick closely to the old and well-tried sorts. If he is plant- 
ing for home use or pleasure, then he may select a wider range of 
varieties, including all the choicer sorts, irrespective of other consider- 
ations. The man who is in the business to make money can well afford 
to let his neighbor try all the uew sorts. The remarks which follow 
on the selection of varieties apply especially to the eastern United 
States, and with the limitations already expressed. 

For market orchards the following have been found the most gener- 
ally profitable varieties: Alexander, Amsden, Troth, Rivers, Louise, 
Hale, St. John, Mountain Rose, Crawford Early, Foster, Old Mixon, 
Stump, Elberta, Crawford Late, Reeves, Wager, Fox Seedling, and 
Beers Smock. These varieties ripen in about the order named. Owing 
to special conditions which prevail in the extreme North and at the far 
South some of these varieties would not be successful. For instance, in 
Michigan it has been found that Crawford Early is very likely to be 
winterkilled or caught in blossom by late spring frosts, and a number 
of other hardier varieties — for example, Barnard and Snows Orange — 
have been substituted for it. The same is true in Connecticut, where 
many of the old varieties are liable to be caught by late spring frosts 
and where the Crosby has proved exceptionally hardy. On the other 
hand, in Florida many of our choice sorts are nearly worthless owing 
to the earliness with which they bloom. There and in Texas the so- 
called Chinese sorts — Peen-to, Honey, and crosses — have proved more 
successful. In middle and upper Georgia the Elberta has proved one of 
the best peaches. Husted's No. 80 is also an excellent peach for that 
locality, ripening a few days after the Alexander. In general for that 
region early varieties are to be recommended rather than late sorts, 
which, however fine, would come into competition with Delaware and 
New Jersey peaches on a falling market. In the mountains of Mary- 
land certain late varieties not suitable for the lowlands of Delaware 
and New Jersey have proved exceedingly remunerative, reaching good 
size and fine color, and coming in late, when the markets are compara- 
tively empty and prices are high. Among these might be mentioned 
Salway and Bilyeu. 

CULTIVATION OF THE ORCHARD. 

The orchard subsequent to planting should be cultivated as care- 
fully as a field of corn. The practice of successful growers varies a 
good deal in this particular. Some cultivate the orchard from the start 
without crops; others plant corn or tomatoes between the trees for the 
first two or three years— that is, until the orchard comes into bearing. 
There is no objection to this, provided the soil is strong and well fer- 
tilized; on the contrary, there appear to be some advantages. There 
is a choice, however, in crops that should be grown, and on no account 



10 



should potatoes or wheat be cultivated in orchards. As soon as the 

trees come into bearing no crop of any 
sort should be grown between them, but 
each year the orchard should receive a 
shallow spring plowing and frequent cul- 
tivations until July. Most of the grow- 
ers in the middle Eastern States prefer 
not to cultivate the soil later than this, 
but in some regions it is the practice 
to cultivate almost the year round, and 
even in Delaware very successful grow- 
ers have followed this practice, keeping 
the soil stirred from early spring until 
late autumn. As a rule deep plowing 
should be avoided. The peach tree is 
almost as sensitive to clean cultivation 
as cotton or tobacco, and no man can 
expect to be very successful in the cul- 
tivation of the peach who allows his 
trees to stand in sod or fails to give 

them clean tillage during at least a part of tlie season. 




Fig. 1. — Peach tree in a Maryland 
orchard, showing customary way of 
pruning. Stake ahoni '■'■ feel liigh. 



PRUNING. 

Opinions differ as to the proper method of pruning. When the trees 
are planted they should be cut back to within 1 or 2 feet of the ground, 
the entire branched top being removed. 
The remainingbuds will push vigorously, 
and three or four of these should be se 
lected to form the new top, care being 
taken that they come out from different 
sides of the stem and not too close to- 
gether, but at a distance of several 
inches up and down the trunk. When 
the branches from these buds have 
grown to be several inches in diameter 
they should support a spreading or vase- 
shaped top (rigs. 1, 2, 3). The proper 
starting of the new top is a matter of 
some importance, for if all of the 
branches have been allowed to grow out 
from nearly the same point on the trunk, 
when the tree has matured the giving 
way of a single limb under weight of 
fruit or stress of wind is very apt to in- 
volve all the rest and split the trunk 
from top to bottom. Such mishaps can be readily avoided by starting 
the main branches at different heights. 




Flo. 2.— reach tree in a Delaware orchard, 
showing customary way of pruning. 
Stake, about 3 feet high. 



11 



lands of the Eastern States 




For orchards on most of the peach 
comparatively little pruning appears 
to be necessary. Some growers prac- 
tice "shortening in" annually over 

the whole top, but in general this is 
not desirable. However, if the tree 
bas made an exceedingly vigorous 
growth it can be practiced to good 
advantage, and is generally best done 
in early spring. The aim in pruning 
should be to get a tree free from dead 
wood and full nearly to the main 
trunk of small branches capable of 
bearing fruit. Care should be taken 
in pruning to avoid cutting away bear 
ing branches from the base of the 
limbs, for by this method long, strag- 
gling branches, having fruit-bearing 

limbs at the top only, are Often pro FlG - 3 — I^ach tree in tho same orchard as 

duced. Some growers prune the trees 

so that the main trunk shall be 4 or 5 feet high, but in general this is 

not to be recommended. 
It is much better to make 
them branch low in vase 
form. The only advan- 
tage of the other method 
is greater ease in culti- 
vating close to the tree, 
and it has on the whole 
disadvantages which 
more than counterbal- 
ance, one of which is the 
greater exposure of the 
trunk to hot suns and 
another the increased 
danger of injuring the 
bark of the trunk by 
plows and cultivators. 

FERTILIZERS. 

Some words are neces 
sary on the use and mis- 
use of fertilizers. Unless 
the trees are on strong 
land it will be necessary 
as soon as they come into bearing, and yearly thereafter, to give them 




Fig. 4. — Peach yellows the fourth year. 



12 

each spring or autumn some special fertilizer. There can be no objec- 
tion to the use of well-composted barnyard manure. Where this is not 
procurable dependence must be put on clover and commercial fertili- 
zers, taking care always that the latter are obtained from reliable 
sources. In general the dependence should be on potash salts and 
phosphates rather than on nitrogenous fertilizers. The peach can be 
injured readily by excess of nitrogen. Its effect upon the trees is to 
produce an excessive growth of wood and foliage at the expense of 




A budded tree attacked iu spring and photographed in June. 



the fruit. Fifty to a hundred pounds per acre of nitrate of soda or its 
equivalent in dried blood or sulphate of ammonia is usually as much 
nitrogenous fertilizer as any orchard requires and many orchards do 
not need it at all. Muriate of potash, kainit, or sulphate of potash 
may be used in large quantities without injury. Four to five hundred 
pounds per acre will do no harm, provided it is not put too close to the 
trunks of the trees. 



13 



The same remarks apply to dissolved rock phosphates and 
superphosphates and various bone mixtures. They have been 
in large quantities, even as high as a 
thousand pounds per acre, without injury; 
generally lesser quantities will suffice. 
Potash salts and phosphates should be 
put on and plowed down in the autumn 
and nitrogenous fertilizers always in the 
spring. Usually the effects of the latter 
disappear the same season. Where the 
grower has opportunity to procure un- 
leached hardwood ashes these also may 
be used, and can be applied in large quan- 
tities without injury. A good home made 
fertilizer can be prepared by composting 
broken or coarsely ground bones with un- 
leached hardwood ashes until the bones 
become soft. The grower who has not 
tried the effects of regularly fertilizing 
bearing orchards will be surprised at the 
difference in quantity and quality of the 
fruit which will result from careful fertili- 
zation. Judicious fertilization will bring 
large returns in the way of tine crops and 



to bone 
applied 






Fig. 7. — Peach curl (Taphrina deformans) . 

der, e g., cowpeas, crimson clover, etc. 



Fig. 6. — Peach mildew (Sphaerotheca 
pannosa ?) on stein and fruit. 

good prices. Even the most 
barren looking yellow sands 
without clay subsoils can be 
made to produce enormous 
crops of luscious fruit year 
after year by proper atten- 
tion to cultivation and fer- 
tilization. Where it is im- 
possible to procure fertilizers 
the grower must depend on 
prolonged cultivation of the 
soil and the occasional 
growth in the orchard of 
green crops for plowing un. 
Much can be done in the way 



of furnishing an orchard food by repeated stirrings of the soil. 



14 



FUNGOUS DISEASES AND INSECT PESTS. 

The peach tree is subject to various diseases, and no oue should ven- 
ture upon peach growing in a commercial way without having a reason- 
ably good understanding of what the difficulties are in this direction. 
Peach yellows (fig. 4) and peach rosette (fig. 5) are two of the most 
destructive diseases. No remedy is yet known, for either, but experi 
ence seems to show clearly that yellows may be held in check by the 
destruction of affected trees as soon as they appear, provided all 
tbe growers of a community unite in practicing it. In planting an 
orchard the grower will of course, if possible, select a region free or 
nearly free from such diseases. These diseases attack all varieties. 
Mildew (fig. 0), on the contrary, is a fungous disease which appears 
to be restricted principally to certain sorts — the serrate-leaved varie- 
ties. It is seriously troublesome only on the Pacific Coast. In the 
Eastern States the only remedy yet known is to pull out the affected 

varieties and plant others. Peach curl (fig. 7) 
is a disease distorting the foliage and causing 
it to fall in spring. It is widespread and 
very serious some years; other years it is 
but little prevalent. This disease also has 
been most troublesome in California. It is 
due to a fungus which may be held in cheek 
by spraying, as appears clearly from recent 
experiments made in California by Newton 
B. Pierce, of this division. The peach cer- 
cospora has also given some trouble in Cali- 
fornia. A fungous trouble known as black 

Black spot of the peach t (fi gv often j eads fco cracking of the 

fruit and subsequent rot, especially in rainy 
periods. This is most prevalent on late varieties. Kot is one of the 
most serious troubles that visit the grower. The disease is due to a 
fungus,' and in wet, hot weather it spreads with great rapidity from fruit 
to fruit, and even attacks the peaches in baskets on the way to market 
and while on the fruit stands. It is a disease that winters over in the 
rotted fruits of the previous year which either remain hanging on 
the tree or have fallen to the ground, and is to be combated by care- 
fully removing and burning all affected fruit. If this is not done 
systematically the crop may be destroyed even before it is out of blos- 
som. Spraying with copper fungicides has been recommended for this 
disease, but as yet the evidence in their favor is not entirely conclusive. 
Sulphur dust blown into the trees during the prevalence of the rot has 
also been recommended and appears to have some value. A safe, effi- 
cient powder or spray for the prevention of this disease would be 
invaluable. 

Crown galls or root galls are irregular tumors on the trunk and 
roots. These are often of large size and occur most frequently at the 




15 



junction of the root and stem. 



the United States, in nurseries as well 



This disease occurs in many parts of 

as in orchards, and is seriously 
prevalent in parts of New Jersey, 
Texas, and California. No rem- 
edy is known, and even the cause 
is yet to be determined. Many 
growers think the disease is com- 
municable, and in planting - or- 
chards it is safe to reject all trees 
showing any signs of it. 

The root knot, which should be 
carefully distinguished from the 
preceding, is a disease caused by 
a small "eel worm "or nematode. 
The knots (fig. 9) due to this cause- 
are generally much smaller than 
the preceding, and on microscopic 
examination of fresh knots it is 
usually not difficult to find cavi- 
ties containing the eel worm in 
various stages of development. 
This nematode attacks the roots 
of a great variety of plants and 
is quite troublesome to the peach 
in parts of Georgia, Florida, and 
other Gulf States. The only symp- 
tom which the writer has seen 
above ground was scanty growth 




Fig. 9. — Root knots duo to nematodes. 




No good remedy is known. Of 
course trees affected with root- 
knot should never be planted. 

Borers (fig. 10) are exceedingly 
troublesome in some regions, espe- 
cially on sandy soils. A great 
number of washes and various 
labor-saving devices have been 
recommended, but the best 
method for dealing with them is 
the old one of carefully uncover- 
ing the trunk of the tree at the 
earth surface and digging them 
out with a sharp knife. In sandy 
lands they should be attended to 
twice a year — spring and fall. It 
is back -aching work, but can 
scarcely be trusted to an inexpe- 
rienced hand, wbo will often do more injury to the trees than an army of 





10. — The peach tree borer (Sanuina exitiosa). 
(1 and 2, original; 3 and 4, after Riley.) 



16 

borers. Of labor-saving devices one of the best, especially for young 
trees, is the covering of the base of the trunk in early spring with st raw 
or cheap Chinese matting, the lower end of which should be buried an 






Fig. 12.— Pupa of the pin 

borer. Side view, 20 
diam. (Forbes.) 



FIG. 13.— Pin borer beetle, 20 diam. 
(Forbes.) 



Fig. 11 . —Larva of the pin borer 
( Scolytiia rugu losus) , enlarged 
22 diam. (Forbes.) 



fill 

1L 





Fig. 14. — Branch of peach, 
showing perforations of the 
pin borer, natural size. 
(Forbes.) 



Fig. 15. — Denuded branch showing breed- 
ing chambers, larva? channels, and pupa 
chambers of the pin borer, natural size. 
(Forbes.) 

inch or two in the soil. This compels the insect to oviposit on the upper 
part of the trunk and on the branches, where the larva; are easily found 
and where they do less general and permanent injury. 



17 



The pin borer, a scolytid beetle of European origin (figs. 11, 12, 13, 
14, 15), has in recent years become rather troublesome in the eastern 
part of the United States. No good remedy is known, but some trouble 
can be avoided by annually removing all dead wood from the orchard and 
taking care that it is not piled anywhere in the vicinity. This should 
be done in the fall or winter. The insects 
prefer sickly trees, but while the larva? are 
generally confined to such trees, the mature 
beetle often migrates to healthy trees and 
feeds upon them, to their great injury, the 
gummy trunks appearing as if peppered with 
fine shot. The most serious depredations the 
writer has seen on healthy trees were where 
piles of dead wood from old peach orchards 
were placed near healthy trees. Two cases 
in particular — one in Maryland and the other 
in western New York — were very striking, 
the injuries beginning in trees near large piles 
of dead wood and becoming less and less in trees more remote from 
these piles until all traces of injury disappeared. 

Brown or black root aphides (figs. 16, 17, 18) are very common in the 
sandy lands of New Jersey and Delaware, and also occur in other parts 
of the Eastern States. The insect sometimes appears on parts above 




Fib. 16.— Black peach aphis 
(Aphis persicceniger), the com 
mon, wingless, viviparous form. 
(Slingerlaml.) 




Fig. 17.-Black peach aphis (Aphis persiem-niger), viviparous, winged form. (J. B. Smith.) 

ground, but the chief injury is done while it is out of sight. As before 
stated, care should be taken that this insect is not introduced into the 
orchard on the roots of the trees when they are planted, and if there 
is any reason for thinking that the roots are infested the trees should 
4800— No. 33 2 



18 



either be discarded or else dipped into some insecticide before 
planting. The underground depredations of this insect stunt the 
tree so that it dies or makes very little growth for several years. 

Stunted trees may, however, be 
started into a more vigorous 
growth by heavy applications of 
tobacco dust dug into the earth, 
and they may sometimes be 
brought out and induced to 
make a good growth by the ap- 
plication of strong stable manure. 
The curculio (fig. 19) is always 
present, and no safe remedy is 
known. It can be depended on 
to take a considerable part of 
the crop each year, and in years 
when the yield is scanty it is 
sometimes content with nothing 
short of the whole crop. This 
is especially apt to be the case 
when spring frosts have unduly 
thinned the crop or have re- 
stricted it to particular orchards. 
Arsenical sprays will hold the 

Fig 18. -Black poach aphis— joints of antenna: Clirculio in check, but are 

«, of young lico; 6, first long joint of winged scarcely to be recommended for 

form: c, second: d, third; e, whip joint;/, top . , , ., 

view; and 0, side view of a single sense pore. the peach, Since they are Very 

(,t. b. Smith.) apt to cause its leaves and fruit 

to fall and may even kill small branches. If used at all the greatest 
care should be exercised. In some cases it might pay to capture 
and destroy the beetles by jarring them onto a framework covered 
with sheets. 

Scale insects have thus far 
done but little injury to peach 
trees in the Eastern States; but 
the enemy is present, and one 
species in particular, recently in- 
troduced from the West Indies 
(a white scale entirely covering 
trunk and limbs and (prickly 
killing the tree), is already as far 
north as Washington D. 0., and 
is likely to be very troublesome when more generally distributed. 
Growers should be on the lookout for this pest (fig. 20) and burn 
infested trees at sight 






FlG. 19. — The curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) 
1, Natural size (original) ; 2, much enlarged 
(after Howard). 



19 



SPRAYING, WASHES, ETC. 

A word about sprays and tree washes in connection with peach-tree 
diseases is not out of place. Many have been recommended without 
proper inquiry as to their merits, and the results of their use have 
been in some cases so disastrous as to prejudice the whole community 
against any kind of fungicidal or insecticidal treatment. Twice the 
writer has known of fine orchards being ruined by the application to 
the trunks of washes containing tar, soap, and arsenites. In one case the 
grower was obliged to remove a whole orchard 7 years old, the trees 
being either killed by the application or injured beyond recovery. 




Pig. 20.— The whitewash scale (Diaspis lanatus). a, section of peach trunk with male and female 
scales in situ, natural size; b, scale of adult female; c, do. male; d, do. in natural position, enlarged 
(Howard.) 

Spraying the foliage for insect and fungous diseases must also be fol- 
lowed with unusual caution. The leaves of the peach tree are very 
sensitive to acids and to arsenical poisons. However, peach trees may 
be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture without danger, provided proper 
care be taken in its preparation. The lime must be freshly slaked and 
must be in excess. 

PICKING AND MARKETING THE FRUIT. 

The first crop of fruit is always a matter of special interest, and the 
inexperienced grower is likely to allow the trees to overbear if not 
specially cautioned. After the June drop has passed, if the trees are 
heavily laden a very considerable number of the peaches should be 
pulled otT. It takes much less labor to pick them at this time than 
when they are ripe, and the remaining fruit will be enough larger and 
better in flavor and color to more than compensate for this thinning. 



20 

Thinniug is uot very generally practiced by peach growers in the 
United States, but if judiciously done no work in the orchard will give 
better returns. Some of the qualities especially desirable in a crop of 
peaches are size, flavor, and color. These desirable points can not 
be expected when the tree is allowed to overbear, in which event the 
fruit is likely to be small and green and inferior in color, and will bring 
a correspondingly poor price when put upon the market. The extra 
labor involved in handling a large crop of inferior fruit is also a 
matter not to be forgotten. Some years thinning will not be necessary, 
but in years when the trees are burdened with fruit it should not be 
omitted. 

Picking and packing are matters which require the personal attention 
of the grower. These can not be trusted to hired labor without strict 
oversight. The peach should be picked and packed as carefully as an 
orange; should never be poured from basket to basket; should never 
be bruised in handling; should be carefully assorted by grades; and 
should be put up for market with an eye to attractiveness, so that the 
best prices may be obtained. It is not strictly proper, however, to put 
red netting over green fruit. There is just the right time to pick for 
market, and this is something to be learned by experience — a day too 
early and the peaches are green, a day too late and they are overripe 
and will be soft and bruised and unsalable before they reach the con- 
sumer. No fruit requires greater expedition and better judgment in 
picking and marketing, and in these particulars the peach is strikingly 
in contrast with the orange, which never worries the grower, but may 
be picked and marketed any time from November to April, barring 
accidents from unexpected frosts. 

In general peach growers in the Eastern States are very careless — 
almost indifferent — as to the manner of shipping fruit to market, and 
the result is that such fruit, while often of a very superior quality, 
rarely brings as good prices as inferior fruit jmt up with special pains 
to make it attractive. The baskets in general use in the Eastern 
States are too large for retail trade. Growers of peaches on a large 
scale in New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland seem to think that they 
can not handle their vast quantities of fruit in small baskets. Growers 
in Michigan and California 1 have learned better and send their fruit 
out in much more attractive form, the result being that they get better 
prices. Florida f ru it also comes to market in good shape, and the Florida 
crate is one of the best. The choicest grades of peaches should never be 
sent to market in large baskets, but each fruit should be wrapped sepa- 
rately and sent with as much care as eggs if the best prices are 
desired. For the canning house and the wholesale trade the Delaware 

•The California crate brings the fruit safely in car load lots as far as Chicago, but 
from this point eastward, in the hands of express companies, sometimes as much as 
20 per cent of the peaches are bruised so as to be unsalable owing to the thin sides 
of the crate. These packages should be made of thicker material or else should 
have a partition through the middle. 



21 

basket is undoubtedly one of the most convenient forms for shipment. 
Inferior fruit should be kept at home and dried or fed to the pig*. The 
unprofitable handling of a large part of such fruit might be avoided 
by thinning, a « already suggested. 

On some accounts it is highly desirable that the fruit should be 
transported by water if the distance is not great and the journey can 
be made rapidly, otherwise it must go in cars and the extra jar must 
be compensated for by rapid delivery and sale. Of course when peaches 
are shipped long distances in warm weather particular pains must be 
taken to see that the cars are properly iced and that there are no delays 
in transit, and when they come from the Pacific Coast they must neces- 




FlG. 21. — Peach crates. 1, California; 2, Florida; 2', single basket from same; 3, Michigan; 4, Dela- 
ware ; 5, North Carolina. 



sarily be picked green. Eastern growers have an advantage over those 
on the Pacific Coast in the much finer quality of fruit grown and in 
being near to market, so that their peaches may be allowed to ripen on 
the tree, something very necessary to the full perfection of this fruit; 
but these great advantages are largely lost by carelessness in packing 
and shipping, and consequently the California peach growers are gen- 
erally able to command a better price in New York markets than East- 
tern growers. Mention has already been made of the desirability of 
planting orchards where competition in transportation exists. This 
affords to growers of the choicest fruit a reasonable guaranty that the 
whole of their profit will not be swallowed up by exorbitant freight 
rates. 



22 



GLUTS IN THE MARKET. 

In years of great abundance another serious cause of loss is due to 
what are known as "slumps" in the market. Most Eastern-grown 
peaches find their way to a few large markets, where prices necessa- 
rily break down when a large quantity of fruit is suddenly thrown 
upon them. At times when a glut exists even the best fruit will 
scarcely pay for the baskets in which it is shipped, much less for 
transportation, picking, packing, etc., and this may happen several 
times during the season. This ruinous state of affairs is not attributa- 
ble to overproduction, but to maldistribution. The crying need in the 
Eastern States is for a system of distribution which will prevent gluts 
in the market. It is well known that at the very time when these 
"slumps" occur in New York and other large centers hundreds of 
smaller towns in the interior can not procure peaches at any price. 

The writer has frequently paid 5 cents apiece for quite ordinary 
peaches in interior towns in New York and Pennsylvania and farther 
west when the finest peaches could scarcely be given away in New 
York and Philadelphia. This suggests that much loss could be avoided 
by a well-organized system of distribution. Just how this shall finally 
be brought about is a difficult problem to solve, but it is certainly one 
of the things which peach growers must study to accomplish. It is 
worth tlie earnest consideration of pomological associations, boards of 
agriculture, and all who are interested in growing peaches. 

It would seem that there might be some arrangement with the local 
dealers in many of tlie smaller towns in the Eastern United States and 
with large dealers in the cities whereby telegraphic advice could be 
sent every day during the season to some centrally located place in 
each peach region and thence communicated to all the growers. In 
this way it would be known where the market was full and where 
empty, and shipment could be arranged accordingly. Cooperation is 
the keynote of success. Indeed, without hearty cooperation and com- 
pact organization little or nothing can be accom plished, and yet to 
secure and maintain such organization presents the chief difficulty. 
Home consumption is another way to avoid gluts in the market; also 
the judicious use of canning and drying houses. 

HINDRANCES TO PROFITABLE PEACH CULTURE. 

One of the chief difficulties in the way of successful peach growing 
is undoubtedly the ignorance of the grower. The man who will not 
grow choice varieties, prefers seedlings, will not properly thin his fruit, 
will not properly grade it, will not keep the culls at home, will send to 
the market when he pleases and where he pleases, and who will not 
combat insect and fungous pests, can not make peach culture profit- 
able, and the only thing for him to do is to go out of the business. 



23 

Many of the serious troubles which beset growers can be measurably 
overcome by intelligent foresight. The thing which is least within the 
range of control is -the weather; yet, while growers can not entirely 
avoid the mischief of spring frosts or the results of hot and rainy 
weather, even these may be guarded against. The judicious selection 
of advantageous orchard sites, and, in special cases, smudges and spray- 
ings with water will tend to avert the former, while prompt removal of 
rotting fruit, extra prompt marketing, and particular care in packing 
for shipment will .do much to remedy the effects of the latter. 

In conclusion it may be said that the labor involved in peach grow- 
ing is great and the discouragements not a few. The proportion of 
failures to successes is at least as ten to one, and very few indeed are 
the men who become " peach kings." The man who is not lull of energy 
and does not enjoy seeing the sun rise every day in the year had better 
venture his money in some other business. 



Note. — Since the first edition of this Bulletin fruit growing in the 
Eastern United States has been seriously threatened, owing to the in- 
troduction and spread of the San Jose scale (Asj) idiot us pernio ios us). 
This scale now occurs in hundreds of orchards in the Eastern United 
States, and has been reported from quite a good many nurseries. This 
very general dissemination has been traced principally to two large 
nursery firms in New Jersey. These firms imported infested trees from 
California in 1880 or 1887 and sent out scale-infested stock for a num- 
ber of years. The scale has been reported from the following States: 
Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Mary- 
land, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala- 
bama, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Arizona, New Mexico, 
California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho. 

The San Jose scale is not restricted to the peach, but attacks a great 
variety of trees and shrubs, including all our common fruit trees, and 
is generally conceded to be by far the worst scale in the United States, 
if not in the world. It has seriously injured many orchards in Califor- 
nia and has already destroyed quite a number on the Atlantic Coast. 
Great care should be exercised in purchasing stock, and no tree from an 
infested locality should be planted without rigid inspection. Infested 
trees should be grubbed up and burned as soon as discovered, even if 
it requires the taking out of whole orchards. Peach trees are now so 
cheap and easily grown that it is scarcely worth while to take any risks 
with uncertain washes and sprays. For further information consult 
Bulletin No. 3, N. S., Division of Entomology, United States Depart- 
ment of Agriculture: The San Jose Scale. By L. O. Howard and C. L. 
Marlatt. 



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